Left behind.

Forget where you are? No this isn't a letter about going to be with the Lord and the possibility of rapture versus no rapture. This is about what will be left behind when you or I do go.

Will your family go yo heaven with you one day? What will people remember you by? (Will they remember you?)

"Lee, this is Christmas time." Yes, it is. And the world is in love with a baby who is no longer a baby and they don't even know it, because He is a king and His name is Jesus and we haven't told them. We as Christians should celebrate this time of year enthusiastically with more rights than anyone else. And even more so this is how our daily walk should be...enthusiastic, in love with Jesus, an attraction to the world because of the life we live.

Yesterday's letter brought a mixed bag of response, even from a friend* who jokingly called(cuz he hasn't totally figured out email) and said "I am really getting tired of you sending me letters placing me under conviction!" and I laughed and then later I started thinking what is conviction.

Conviction is that thing your soul despises. That feeling that "oh oh! But maybe there is a way out". (Never been there, huh???) And when the Word of God comes in with spotlights blazing, darkness tripping over its self on the way out, and there you are caught in the sin. Its easy to say "oh, I didn't mean to" and go on, but the light is still there. I didn't mean to usually doesn't wash with me. I believe sin is premeditated. What we meditate on is birthed. If it is good-good fruit, if it is sinful-bad fruit. Its a choice. If you know that God doesn't want you to swear or be prideful you will prepare your heart for the situaion. But if you run profanity around your head you will see it appear. If you daydream of being on a podium and people saying "what a great guy" you will get it. If we think we are doing well, open that great equalizer of God and read it, bringing our lives into perspective.

And then when you are asked the question, "what are you taking to heaven?", you can point to those you brought to the Lord by your walk with Lord. Pride does not attract people to the Lord. It draws remarks about hypocrisy and "church people".

Feeling a little bruised? So was I when I wrote it. But God gives us full restoration when we repent, turning away from our sin. I suspect each one of this day has an infraction, minor as it may seem that the Lord would like to see gone. Go before Him, ask for His grace(that power that allows sin to be overcome) and feel the refreshing of His blood applied to our life.

Below you will find something to meditate on given by a friend in Slovakia. Imagine there is a bank which credits your account each morning with stlg86,400, carries over no balance from day to day, allows you to keep no cash balance, and every evening cancels whatever part of the amount you had failed to use during the day.

What would you do?

Draw out every penny, of course!

Well, everyone has such a bank. Its name is TIME.

Every morning, it credits you with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off, as lost, whatever of this you have failed to invest to good purpose. It carries over no balance. It allows no overdraft.

Each day it opens a new account for you. Each night it burns the records of the day. If you fail to use the day's deposits, the loss is yours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the "tomorrow". You must live in the present on today's deposits. Invest it so as to get from it the utmost in health, happiness and success!

The clock is running. Make the most of today..

To realize the value of ONE YEAR, ask a student who has failed his exam.

To realize the value of ONE MONTH, ask a mother who has given birth to a pre-mature baby.

To realize the value of ONE WEEK, ask an editor of a weekly newspaper.

To realize the value of ONE DAY, ask a daily wage labourer who has ten kids to feed.

To realize the value of ONE HOUR, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet or . . .

To realize the value of ONE MINUTE, ask a person who has missed the train.

To realize the value of ONE SECOND, ask a person who has survived an accident.

To realize the value of ONE MILLI-SECOND, ask the person who has won a silver medal in Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have! And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special.. special enough to have your time.

AND... Remember... time waits for no one .

If we do this, this holiday, we have more crowns to take with us, and people who will realize the power of Jesus.

*You can check out his website at ministry/augiedavid He is a missionary who travels all over the world.